My water pump has just went bad, so I am replacing it with a new one. This truck has 175,000 miles on it. Should I replace the fan clutch too? I'm sure it's the original fan clutch. The fan clutch they showed me at Autozone for my truck wasn't quite as big in diameter and it was a lillte thicker and a little heavier. Is that common for an aftermarket fan clutch to not be exactly like the original?

 

unless yours is bad, reuse it.

you sure about using autozone stuff?

 

avoid those autozone fan clutches (atleast the torq-flo).. My 90 F250 is on it's second one.. first one ran the fan more than it needed to.. now the second one is starting to do the same.. when it's only 96F out, and i'm out on the freeway the fan doesn't need to be roaring away the whole way home.. engine always runs nice and cool though.. but gas mileage is horrible.
however, the torq-flo I put in my 88 Ranger 2.9L is working quite well.. very weird..

 

No I'm not sure about using Autozone parts. Definitely having second thoughts now.

 

I use a lot of Autozone parts but a rule of thumb from my grandfather you get what you pay for so if you buy the cheapest part they have well... I don't mind paying a touch more if I don't have to keep relaceing it.

 

Clean your old fan clutch. The cooling fins on it get caked. Engine degreaser, carb and choke cleaner or even a twig will help get that gunk off. I just did mine yesterday and am hoping that will help it wam up. Between that and a new water pump it sure is quiet.

 

Uhh ..... reason the cooling fins get caked is because the oil in the clutch is leaking out . That oil is what makes the clutches engage .... so its pretty much done . Yea sure it may work still .. but not like it should .

Always , repeat .... always .... buy a fan clutch at the Ford dealer . This is one part that aftermarket places cannot compete with . I know its expensive ... sure ... like 80 bucks .... but Aftermarket fan clutches are crap .

Think of it .... as a cheap insurance plan , that will keep that engine nice and cool , especially if you have AC .... then Definately get a good one .

Its your call

 

Oh. Consider that my truck runs too cool. 285K miles and a good cleaning helped it warm up a little. Maybe. When I had it off the nut would turn by hand but it did have resistance. Would a new one spin freely?

 

if its running too cool .... the thermostat is stuck open . Running too cool isnt good either . Oil likes to sludge , computer gets mad . Computer needs to see atleast 160 degrees before it even functions in closed loop control .

Not only does the oil sludge .... but you want it nice and hot and thin to make it through those .002 thousandths of bearing clearances right ? ?

 

The thermostat is 1 year old and from the dealer. I replaced it as a matter of maintainance. The temp was unaffected. The temp ran below the N in normal and now that I have cleaned the fan clutch it runs on N. I'm thinking that the fan clutch cooling fins being dirty made it hold heat and engage more than it should causing the engine to run cool.

Wouldn't 14 years and 285K miles would explain the gunk on the clutch?

 

it would tell me to replace it ..... but if you feel comfy with it being all sparkly clean lookin now that you washed it off .... hey good luck

 

If your oil is sludging, you got bigger problems than a fan clutch, or you're using some really crappy oil.

Now, will the REAL temperature indicator please stand up? You have two temperature sending units on these trucks. One is for ENGINE temperature and does nothing but drive the gauge, and the other is for COOLANT temperature and tells the ECM how hot the coolant is, which is obviously indicative of how hot the engine is. Believe it or not, the gauge unit can go bad just like the one for the ECM. I saw a table somewhere with temperatures and resistance measurements on the engine temp unit, but can't recall where. Suffice it to say, though, as they get old, the resistance usually increases, which will make the gauge read much colder than it is. The lower the resistance (hotter the engine) the further up scale the needle will go. Try shorting, but VERY breifly the single wire to the block. The temp gauge should peg out. Have someone ready to turn on the ignition, check the gauge, and turn the ignition back off. Sustaining the short will probably damage the gauge, albeit I've never heard of one being permanently damaged.

Another problem, especially on older vehicles, is the IVR (Instrument Voltage Regulator) will also start to fade. This is normally indicated by low oil pressure readings on the gauge, fuel gauge reading too low, and engine looking too cool.

If the temperature gauge is the only thing that appears to be malfunctioning, the sending unit is about $12, and takes all of about 15 minutes to replace. Make sure to get the one with the single wire on it. The two wire one is for the ECM, but also costs about $12 and can be replaced in about the same amount of time. This assures the ECM gets a good signal, and the other will assure proper voltage on the gauge. If the sensor is working right, the gauge should read about half scale (in the middle between R and M in NORMAL) when the engine is close to normal operating temperature. They're designed that way, in ALL domestic vehicles. Gauges just look better if the needle is in the middle. It makes a better photograph when showing off a dashboard. Oh yeah, I just put one on a 1990 T-Bird that the gauge was never coming off the bottom peg, despite being quite warm with a very leaky cooling system. Gauge works great now.

Now, for the fan. With it on the vehicle, and the belt on, give the fan a spin. It shouldn't spin more than about a half turn, but should spin SOME. If it won't turn, it's locked up. If it turns, and keeps turning more than a half turn, the viscous fluid has leaked out. Either way, time to replace the fan. If you have Advance Auto Parts in your area, you CAN get Motorcraft parts if you ask for them. They cost a little more, but you don't have to worry about a stealership breaking something off in you. The ONLY things I buy from a stealership are Stealership Only items. For example, a bronze bushing to retrofit the plastic kickdown cable bushing on the AOD tranny in the T-Bird.

 

Great post Old Paint I agree 100%

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. I've actually had a new sending unit for a year or 2 in my tool box. I haven't put it in because I couldn't easily get the wire off. Lame excuse right? The guage does go up if I run the motor without the belt. It just normally runs a little low. I'm in no hurry to be draining rad fluid again. You have any idea what a pain it is to get rid of that stuff?

Thanks again.

 

If the fluid's in good shape, capture it in a clean bucket, and put it back in. Make sure it isn't murky and doesn't have any oily residue floating in it, though, and NO signs of coagulating corrosion. Drain enough through the radiator petcock to get the level below the intake manifold. Replace both sensors in the cooling system while there, then pour the coolant back in. Express Oil will take your old coolant or oil at no charge. Part of their enviro-friendly policy. To burp the system, disconnect the heater hose at the tree while you're pouring the coolant back in. You'll get most of the air out that way, and the rest will bleed itself out eventually via the rad cap and reservoir.